Fifteen Love
by LileyKigoSpashleyRizzslesLover
Summary: After a rousing game of 'tennis', Jane and Maura find an unexpected visitor at the Isles residence. Continuation of S2E13. Jane/Maura. Oneshot.


A/N: I have two finals tomorrow (Tuesday) so forgive me for the poor quality. Since I go home soon I may come back and fix it up. Side note – to those who read my last fic, for some reason I thought that they were at Maura's because of the wine. I was tired so forgive me for the error. Hopefully this one has none. Or at least less obvious ones.

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They walked behind a large brick building where there was an expanse of pavement that looked much like the blacktop children would play on during recess. They were each carrying a racket and wearing lightly colored shoes but the similarities ended there. Maura was in a short, cute white tennis dress, with a matching visor and wrist sweatband along with a bright pink tote bag. Jane was in her pretty standard attire – shorts and her 'Property of Boston Police Dept. Athletics Division' t-shirt.

"When you invited me to play I thought you meant on actual courts." Maura said, frowning at the location choice Jane had made.

"This is how I used to play when I was a kid." She explained, gesturing her racket towards the wall for emphasis.

"We can go to my club! They have fresh-mint lemonade."

"Free refills?" Jane asked with mock excitement.

"Yes!" She replied, eager to go somewhere a little nicer.

"No!" She shot back. It's not like she hated going to all of Maura's favorite fancy places – she just hated the people they always contained. If she wanted to feel like she was being constantly judged then she would just spend a day with her mother.

While Maura put her bag down against the brick building behind them, Jane held back a laugh – letting only a slight snort escape – before turning to her best friend. "So, um, Casey called this morning again." She said with a smile as she bounced the tennis ball and readied her racket.

"Mmm." The M.E. let out a sound of interest as she prepared herself to return the ball.

"And I got those little butterflies in my stomach like I was seventeen again." She grinned and backhanded the ball.

Maura smiled, returned the serve, and merged right on over to Google-speak. "Release of epinephrine. Draws blood away from the stomach, sends it to the muscles. You are – " She paused to deliver a fierce forehand shot. "Lovesick!"

Jane let that shot go as she was currently distracted by what the other woman just said. "Wh-?"

"The one who missed it gets it!" She chimed cheerily, clueless to what Jane's real confusion was about.

"Lovesick?" She asked again.

"Run! It might balance high dopamine and norepinephrine levels present because of your inability to consummate."

"Wha –uh, stop." She held up her hand to double her efforts. "I'll – I'll get the ball."

Maura gave her a mischievous grin. "I'll race you for it."

Jane glanced back at her for a split second to see if she was kidding. Seeing that she wasn't, they sprinted off to where the ball rolled, both laughing.

They reach the ball at the same time and grab for it. Their hands meet and Jane pulls away quickly, feeling a jolt at the impact. As she looked at her hand with a confused expression, Maura looks up at her oddly.

"You okay?" She asked before looking around the ball for any sign of glass or insects that may have injured her.

"I'm fine. Just – get the ball…" She turned around and started walking towards their 'court'.

After pondering for a moment the unusual occurrence, she joined her – ball in hand. She sent the other woman another concerned glance before serving.

The only sound for the next several minutes was of the yellow-green sphere bouncing against the side of the white building and the ground. These awkward silences have started to happen more and more frequently between them and they were both starting to worry.

Maura was worried even more so than Jane, of course, since she was still getting used to normal human interaction. She wasn't sure what to make of it when it happened.

The detective glimpsed over at the other woman when she finished her shot and was surprised to find her frowning. When the ball came back to her, she lobbed it in the air and caught it.

"Done already?" The doctor asked.

"Do we need to talk?"

Her frown intensified, figuring this was a bad sign considering the negative connotations with a slightly different version of that sentence. "Do we?"

Jane shrugged. "You seem a bit down. Anything you want to talk about?"

She considered bringing up what happened earlier but, considering there was the chance it was all in her head, she shook her head. "Not right now."

"Alright." She said, figuring all was well for now. She served the ball and they kept at it until the sun started to disappear.

When it was getting hard to see the ball, Maura caught it. "It's getting kind of late."

The detective nodded. "Yeah. You hungry?"

"Starving." She grinned before half-skipping over to her bag and placing the ball inside. She turned around and was met with an eyebrow quirk. "What?"

"Nothing…" She said, smirking, as she walked away.

Maura followed with a smile, glad they seemed to be getting back to normal for now.

They walked for a bit, discussing their meal options, until Jane pointed out a nearby hotdog cart.

"This okay with you?" She asked, figuring the other woman would say no due to the questionable hygiene conditions.

Before she answered she pulled out her phone. A few moments later she smiled and showed the screen to her best friend. "Yep! I had this cart tested awhile back and its bacteria count fell within acceptable limits!"

The only thing that surprised her about that was the fact that a _hotdog _cart in _Boston _passed the Maura Test. Nonetheless, she shook her head at the other woman, knowing that this was just one of the loveable quirks her best friend possessed.

The line wasn't too long so they got their food rather quickly. When they stopped at a nearby bench, Maura noticed that Jane was sitting just a bit further from her than she normally was. She hesitantly wrote that off to the fact that they were both sweaty from the game and bit into her cylindrical meat sausage.

After they ate they drove back to Maura's place. When they opened the door they saw someone they weren't expecting sitting nonchalantly at the dining room table.

"Giovanni?" Jane asked in confusion. When she saw the woman who was more than likely responsible for the surprise come out of the kitchen, she turned her attention to her. "Ma? Would you like to explain why _he _is here?" She said, spitting out the male pronoun with disdain. She really didn't want to deal with him right now.

"He just lost someone, Jane! Show a little sympathy!" She scolded.

She rolled her eyes but plastered a smile on her face and walked over to him. "Hey, Gio. You okay?" She figured getting him to talk about something unrelated to her would lessen the chance he would say anything about the fictional romantic relationship between her and Maura.

He shook his head and spoke. "Maria… she was perfect. And after she was so fat in high school!" He let out a sob. "I thought she was actually gonna be the one."

"Didn't he say that about you?" Jane whispered to Maura with a slight laugh, wincing when she received an elbow jab.

"We're very sorry for your loss, Giovanni." The M.E. said, now turning to him with a concerned gaze.

"Thanks, Maura."

"And if there's anything you need don't hesitate to ask. Just make yourself at home." She continued.

He smiled up at her weakly. "Thanks. It's too bad things between me and you didn't work out. While I'm glad you're happy, it's a bit of a shame that both of you are taken."

Angela's face contorted into an expression of confusion. "What?"

"Nothing!" Jane yelled, causing the other three to jump in surprise. "I mean… he's just grieving… crazy talk, you know." She laughed nervously and then shot him a look.

His brows furrowed into a befuddled expression before they raised up again in understanding. Figuring they were not out to Angela yet, he backtracked. "I meant by your jobs. So dedicated these two are…"

The elder Rizzoli beamed. "I know! Though I wish my Janey had put that dedication towards something less dangerous though. Like flower arranging!"

Jane brought her left palm to her face and sighed. "Again with that, Ma?"

Said woman looked sheepish but kept at it. "Of course! I'm sorry if I'm worried for your safety!"

"I'm fine. All the years at this job and nothing has happened to me!"

"Nothing?" She yelled, looking expectantly at her daughter. "In the past year you have been shot, stalked by a serial killer, not to mention how many times you've had a gun pointed at you!"

"Alright, alright, I get it." She rolled her eyes. "But I'm still alive. Now, can we talk about something else?"

Angela just shook her head at her but turned towards the sole man in the room. "Can I get you something to eat, Giovanni?"

He gazed up at her with a wondrous expression. "Can you make some of that yummy risotto you always used to, Mrs. Rizz?"

"Of course, sweetheart." She said with a soft smile before she headed over to the kitchen.

Right about now Jane was cursing the fact that Maura's kitchen was in view of the living room. Otherwise, she would have warned Giovanni against saying _anything _to her mother regarding her relationship with the M.E. standing right beside her. Instead, she settled for a glare that she was pretty sure got the message across.

Giovanni, aloof as ever, figured it was just her 'time of the month' and ignored it. "So, do all of you live here now?" He asked. He had heard about the divorce not too long after it happened and figured Angela had moved in with Jane but he didn't think Jane moved in with Maura already.

"No, just me and Maura." Angela responded, grabbing a pot. "I live in the guest house out back."

"Cool. It's nice you're taking care of your future mother-in-law, Maura." He said, directing the second sentence to said woman who just laughed nervously, wanting the conversation to end before she would have to actually lie or tell him the truth.

Meanwhile, Jane had a horrified look on her face and looked over to her mother who didn't seem to catch that bit of the conversation seeing as she was busy washing the pot that had gathered a bit of dust from disuse. Just as she was about to say something, her phone rang. She sighed when she saw who was on the other line. "Can you make sure he doesn't say anything else?" She said to Maura before she took the call in another room.

"We didn't tell Angela what we told you." Maura whispered.

"Oh, I got it! Don't worry!" He winked.

She smiled and shot a glance to the hallway Jane had exited through. Something urged her to follow but she knew the detective needed some alone time with whom she assumed to be on the other end of the phone.

"Do you like it here?" He asked, yelling so the woman it was directed towards could hear.

She shut off the water and answered. "Yeah, it's nice. I get this big kitchen I can use whenever I want to and such great company!" She smiled over at her sort-of-roommate. "But I am trying to save up for a place of my own."

"That's right!" He recalled where they met last. "You're working at that café in the police station."

"Yep!" She grinned. "And maybe I'll be able to move in my Janey's building!"

"Please don't." Said woman spoke when she entered the room. She only heard the last bit of the conversation but that was all she needed. "I get enough of you at work and my best friend's house. I don't need you knocking on my door in the middle of the night because you found some 'adorable' sweater for me on the home shopping network."

"Oh, come on, Janey. That was one time!"

"That's all it takes!" She said before dragging Maura by the arm into the room she just came from. As soon as she shut the door she spoke gravely. "We have a problem."

"Oh no, was that Casey? Did he give you bad news?" Unease permeated her features.

"Not that! I'm talking about Giovanni and my mother! I do not need her to think that you and I are together!"

Her look softened. "Don't worry about that. He promised not to say anything!"

"How did you get him to do that?"

"I just told him that we didn't tell your mother what we told him. I think he took it as we weren't ready to tell people yet."

Jane smiled and felt an intense desire to hug the woman next to her. She refrained and spoke. "Great job, Maura!" Now there was one less thing to worry about.

When they walked back in, they only caught a few words off the end of the conversation.

"…told her… don't care… grandchildren."

Giovanni shrugged and sat up quickly, noticing the two entering the room.

"Oh! Hello girls!" Angela smiled weakly before zipping into the kitchen and stirring the rice dish.

"What was that?" Jane demanded.

The man just shrugged again.

She placed her hands on the table he was sitting at and stared him down. "What just happened, Giovanni?"

Her intimidation technique didn't work, however, considering she used it all the time when they were younger. "Nothin', I swear!"

Jane just grumbled and let the group fall into a silence while the food was being cooked.

"So, did you enjoy your day together?" Angela asked, bringing Giovanni a plate of her creation. As she sat it down she realized what she said. "N-not together, I mean… I know you were with each other but…"

"We just played tennis against that one wall." Jane answered, concerned about what her mother had just said but didn't want to say anything about it.

"It was fun!" Maura chimed in, clueless. "Jane has a great backhand."

"I'm sure she does!" Giovanni grinned, unable to help himself.

Angela, not sure what to do with herself, turned around and started busying herself in the kitchen again. "Would you ladies like anything to eat?"

"No thanks," Maura answered. "We just ate."

"Alright. Then I think I'm going to go out for a bit. Maybe pick up some more carnaroli rice…" She grabbed her jacket and bolted.

"I think that was the fastest I've ever seen my mother move." Jane said with a stunned look.

"Jane… be nice!" Giovanni said as he chewed his food. Loudly.

She looked down at him with contempt. "I get that you're mourning and all but do you really have to do it here?"

"Oh, sorry. You want some alone time with your lesbifriend?"

"My wha – you know what? Nevermind… I'll get you a to-go bowl." She said before walking into the kitchen and spooning some risotto into a plastic bag and handing it to him, nearly pushing him out of the chair in her attempts to get him out of the house.

The door closed behind him and Jane let out a sigh.

"Can I just crash in your bed? I'm exhausted…"

"M-my bed?"

Jane caught her mistake and flushed. "I – I meant your guest bed."

"Oh! Of course! You don't even need to ask, Jane, you know that."

The detective smiled at her. In walking over to her designated room, she brushed past the doctor.

"Jane… wait."

Said woman turned around.

"Do you think that…. before you go to bed can we talk?"

A nervous flutter traveled up her torso but she nodded in agreement. "Sure."

Maura started to move to the couch but remembered the two that had just left. "My room?" She asked, starting to walk there anyway.

The two sat down on the bed and let the silence surround them for a moment.

"I – about earlier… I… no, I think I should start this by saying…" She was fumbling over her words, which was quite odd for the normally eloquent woman. She sighed and got straight to the point. "Are we losing our friendship?"

Jane was visibly taken aback. "What? What would make you say that?"

"Well… you seem to not be as touchy with me anymore. And there are all these silences were there were none before."

She looked down, knowing what that was all about.

"Are we?"

She looked back up and into the worry filled eyes of her best friend. "No. Of course not, Maura. You're my best friend and I'd never let anything change that."

"Then why do I get the feeling you want it to change?"

"Because… I want it to… but I won't let that happen. I don't want to risk what has been the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Maura smiled at that but the curiosity got the better of her. "How do you want it to change?"

Jane tried her best to come up with the nearest truth she could without outright saying it. "I just want us to be closer…"

She cocked her head to the side. "We spend almost every moment together. I don't understand how we can be closer unless you move in or become a lab assistant."

"There are other ways…" She said softly, part of her hoping the other woman heard her.

She did but took it differently. "I am not becoming a detective, Jane."

A laugh emerged from her lips. "Thank god for that!"

The shorter woman's brows furrowed as she tried to unfurl the riddle. A few seconds later it dawned on her and she smiled.

"What?" Jane asked, seeing the look.

"Are you talking about what Giovanni thinks is true, actually becoming true?"

Jane's breath quickened and her heart rate felt like it increased tenfold. She nodded and became intensely fascinated with the carpet.

Maura's smile widened. "I feel the same."

Her head snapped up. "You do?"

"Yes. Why do you think I pushed Tommy away? I meant what I said, Jane. I love you."

She could barely keep her bottom lip from trembling as all the emotions from today, along with the hidden feelings suddenly surfacing, came up at once. "I love you too."

They leaned in for a kiss but Maura pushed her away just before their lips touched.

"What about Casey?"

"What about him? He just broke up with me." She said, thinking back to the phone call she received within the hour.

"Oh, Jane. I'm so sorry."

She smiled. "Don't be. I have you. And you're _much _better than he is."

"But what about earlier? And the butterflies?"

"What I didn't tell you was that, during our conversation, I was thinking about seeing you later." She smiled flirtatiously, threw her arms around her shoulders, and pulled her in closer.

"So you're trying to tell me that you never liked him?"

She shook her head. "No. I like him. A lot." She said, overemphasizing 'a lot' which earned her a frown from the woman in front of her. "But I love you more than I ever thought it possible to love another human being."

Maura rewarded that with a rather enthusiastic kiss. Jane, after taking a second to recover from the unexpected rush of endorphins, responded eagerly. When their tongues met, however shyly, they saw stars, fireworks, unicorns, and whatever else is intensely wonderful with the world. The reactions their bodies had to it was indescribable, though they were intent on experiencing it as much as they could tonight, it seemed.

Since they were not snails they needed to part in order to breathe.

"Still tired?" Maura asked with a seductive grin on her face.

She shook her head and returned the smirk. "Nope. I just got a sudden burst of energy!" She exclaimed before she tacked the other woman onto the bed and enveloped the awaiting lips with her own.

Maura pulled back slightly, letting her warm whisper ghost along the detective's lips. "You know, I haven't pulled an all-nighter since med school." She laughed and pushed forward a bit before pulling back again. "Not related to a case, of course."

"Just shut up and kiss me, woman!" Jane said, laughing. Even though she loved her attempts, this was not the time or the place for her bad jokes.

The M.E. did as she was told.

The next day they went to work, hair disheveled and smiles in place. Neither of them slept a wink.


End file.
